On new Birds from Central East Africa. 443 



companies." Its Sakalava name of iiCo/oA:()/o/aw2/ apparently 

 refers to its nesting on the bare ground — from kolokblo, 

 ''cherished^ cared for," and tany, "earth, ground." Mr. 

 Cory says : " The Lark, I should say, was the commonest 

 Malagasy bird, and more numerous than the Fody, also by 

 no means difficult to obtain." 



The long list of Madagascar Passeres is closed by the two 

 species of the very peculiar genus Philepitta, which, as men- 

 tioned above, constitute by themselves one of the few families 

 of the Oligomyodian group of the Order found in the Old 

 World. I regret to be able to say but little of these rare birds. 

 The colours of Philepitta Jala are in the adult male almost 

 black, but in the younger birds they are black, beautifully 

 mottled with yellow. The male has a curious green caruncle 

 stretching all round the head above the eyes*. In the other 

 species, P. sclilegeli, the same colours are found, but the 

 canary-yellow tint is unmixed on the neck, breast, and belly, 

 the dark colour being confined to head, wings, and tail. The 

 native names for these birds are obscure in meaning, throw- 

 ing little light upon their habits ; one perhaps, Tsoitsoy, 

 is imitative of their cry. 



[To be continued.] 



XXXVIII. — Diagnoses of new Species of Birds from Central 

 East Africa. By R. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., F.L.S., 

 &c., British Museum. 



In the next number of ' The Ibis ' I shall, with the Editor^s 

 permission, continue my detailed account of my friend 

 Mr. F. J. Jackson's collection. For the present I content 

 myself with giving some diagnoses of species which I have 

 satisfied myself, by a visit to the Museums of Berlin and 

 Frankfort t, are not yet described. 



* My friend Rev. J. Wills tells me, " The female is lightish brown, 

 with mottled breast, much like an English Thrush, and altogether unlike 

 its mate. The native name is Ramanjerika, which is given by you (in 

 error, I think) to Terpsiphone mutata, but which is also called by the 

 Hova Sikefy.'^ 



t When Mr. Hartert was in London last spring he identified a little 



